Local Root Exploit in Udev
The udev subsystem allows the Linux kernel, together with a userland program, to manage device nodes dynamically, adding and removing them at will. It has now been revealed that the communication channel between the kernel and program fails to authenticate, so that users can assume root privileges.
The udev subsystem and the udevd daemon communicate in userspace over the netlink interface. Sending KOBJECT_UEVENT messages unfortunately doesn't verify who sent them. The result is that normal users can assume read privileges for a random device. If the device has a major and minor number of the root block device, invasive code can be applied to alter the system. A root exploit could then be quite simple for an attacker.
The root exploit was discovered by Sebastian Krahmer of the SUSE Security Team, which had become apprised of the CVE-2009-1185 spoofing exposure. The udev “trickery" exploit also points to another vulnerability in the CVE-2009-1186 stack buffer overflow exposure. Unfortunately, MITRE has not released further details on these vulnerabilities. All larger Linux distros have openly declared to be affected by them, so the distros are now providing updated packages.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
New Linux Tool for Security Issues
Seal Security is launching a new solution to automate fixing Linux vulnerabilities.
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.